Wurtsmith Air Force Base. Air Show 1989. Oscoda, MI.

Thomas Lopez is commenting during the show. Thomas has appeared many times in the filming of the Wurtsmith Air Force Base Collection.

[@swifigames4237]

My father was E-6, I'll never forget my time on this base. About a year after we moved in, they started construction on the skate park...mostly just a half-pipe, all memories worth remembering. I had a lot of firsts on that base. First drop-in (7 ft. half-pipe), first real kiss (Danielle from Florida) lol, first lock-in (Amazing Experience), first time playing D&D on the school bus...jeez. I just wanna talk about it all. Those lock-in memories make me smile at this very moment. Me and few other kids used to sneak off-base over by Wes's house on S. Alaska, we'd walk to the train bridge to go river jumping off it. I never did though I wanted to...one of the kids didn't take his shoes off before jumping in, we all had to jump in the water after him because they were keeping him from swimming properly...I got cold feet after that :/ But he was alright. The Shoppette was a must stop spot after school for some Bazooka Joe & Chick-O-Sticks. I will never forget the mosquito spray during the summers. It's also where I got my first and last bite from a squirrel. To this day I wonder if one of these two were the reason I ended up in the hospital for a month with swollen submandibular lymph nodes. I got my first BB gun here. One day I had set my targets up in the backyard and started practicing. About 15 minutes in I hear a voice to my right say 'put the gun down', I look over to see an MP approaching cautiously with his M-16 in both hands, just as soon as that happened I heard a stick snap on my left, I turn to see another MP doing the exact same thing from that side...slightly confused, I put down my Daisy. No harm, no foul. Looking back, I commend those two MP's for their patience and understanding that I was just a kid shooting at targets. I mean, sure as shit, those M-16's weren't fake!! It's a fun story to tell sometimes. I think my dad ended up getting chewed out over it from the base chief...I remember him saying it was a pretty good time. Turns out that apparently one of the MP's German Shepherd's had gotten shot with a pellet gun not too long prior to this incident. Bad timing I guess.. For me, to this day...there's nothing like waking up to the sound of fighter jets tearing through the air. And to whomever built that sweet snow fort down on 1st street....job well done.

[@brothermitchlove1]

What years were you there?

[@swifigames4237]

90/91

[@brucebeauvais1324]

The video needs a flyby of a couple of F-4s to add to the smoke.

[@plunderpunk2]

I recall proudly rocking my A10 Warthog shirt there that day... I was 13.

[@RyanBomar]

100% pure awesome! Thanks for posting.

[@michaelguyer6671]

I was born on this base on July 8th 1981. And spent the first three years of my life on this Base.

[@brothermitchlove1]

Very cool...........

[@ravepuppie]

The dark exhaust color is a result of the water injection system that these Pratt&Whitney engines use. It's not so much an extensive pollution as it is just water vapor that concentrates the exhaust gasses. Sgt Steven M Palmer, 379th OMS, Wurtsmith AFB 1988-1990

[@d.m.d1294]

Yup! I was there as a medic and manned the 1st Aid tent. Retired from Wurtsmith when the base closed in 1993.

[@brothermitchlove1]

Wow Wurtsmith had a first-aid tent? Where and what year?

[@d.m.d1294]

Yup, I manned the first aid tent on the flt line during the 1989 air show as an IDMT med provider. I was the superintendent of hospital and nursing services, 379th Med Gp, and retired as an E-7 when the base closed in 1993. I was first stationed there as a medic for 2 yrs from 1972 till 1973. My brother was stationed there as a medic from 1975-1978. I was a SAC weenie at 4 bases during my 24 yr career.

[@brothermitchlove1]

@@d.m.d1294 thank you for your service! I was at Wurtsmith for two years (1987 - 1989) , My brother was in the Air Force for 22 years.

[@RedSmitty]

I miss the air shows in oscoda. Thanks for sharing. Too bad the base closed down. Keep "Livin' Outdoors"

[@nicolettehull3020]

This is an awesome video. I remember my grandpa being stationed here and going to the air show every year until the base closed. Thank you for sharing brings back a lot of memories from when i was a child.

[@rrg6754]

I'm glad somebody recorded some video from that time period at Wurtsmith. I was there in the 379th Supply Squadron from May 1988 through April 1992 and enjoyed all 4 years there. It was depressing right toward the end though when they were closing everything down and emptying things out. I went back there again in the mid to late 1990's, I can't remember the exact year in the summer. And they were having some big re-union that day with past Wurtsmith military members, and had the Yankee Air Museum opened up. The 2nd time I went back up to Oscoda/Wurtsmith was in the summer of 2008 and some of the buildings and dorms had been torn down on the base when I drove through that time. After I had explored the base and area again that time I emailed a guy who had been on the base the same time as me, and had worked in the AGE shop out near the flightline. And told him what it was like around there since we had left. He said he hadn't been back up there since the base had closed, and thought it would be depressing to see it now compared to what it was like when it was an active military base. (a bee-hive of activity with things going on everywhere on the base, and in Oscoda). And I definitely agree with him about that. It's certainly not like it was when we were there. I emailed him a bunch of still-digital pictures I had taken from my trip around the base on that trip though (2008) just to give him an idea of what things looked like at the time. The last time I was up to Oscoda was I think in 2022, and I took my video camera with me that time just to film on my trip through Oscoda and on the base area. Unfortunately it was in the Spring and it was and overcast day so all the footage was kind of gloomy. Those four years I spent up at Wurtsmith were probably some of the most enjoyable years of my life. Kind of like college without the school work. Back in about 2007 I was planning on taking a job with a military contractor that did security work on an Army base over in Kuwait. It was supposed to be a tax free job, but I believe they said you would have to stay over there for a year (or something like that). And the job would mainly consist of checking vehicles entering the base, but also there were towers around the perimeter that had to be manned. The orientation was kind of strange. They did a conference call by phone with me and about 10 other people at the same time. And the guy in charge explained everything to us while we were on the phone, and we could ask him questions. Unfortunately about two weeks before I was supposed to fly out somewhere in the southern U.S. before the final flight out. The whole thing fell through. I think The employer lost their contract with the military for some reason. So that was as close as I got to having any further involvement with the military again. This year when I head back up to Oscoda I'm going to make sure it's a sunny day when I go. I live here about an hour East of Saginaw so it's not too far of a drive for me to head up there again. This time I might park the car somewhere and walk around the base on foot instead of driving through like I did the other times I went back. That way I'll have more time to look things over better than just a quick drive through like the other times I went back.

[@brothermitchlove1]

I was there from 1987-1989. This Video was one of my last at Wurtsmith AFB. I did go overseas to contract for the Army and then again for the Air Force at Bagram Air Field Afghanistan. kzbin.info/www/bejne/a4DJYamPbpyVjrs

[@rrg6754]

@@brothermitchlove1 Good job on the videos. I think from what I can remember at least the contractor told us the Afghanistan jobs paid even more than the Kuwait jobs because it was more dangerous there. And a lot of people that ended up going over to Kuwait who had never been there before didn't realize until they got there how dry it was there.

[@brothermitchlove1]

@@rrg6754 hazard pay... Yes, don't let the sun hit your skin.

[@mmal7982]

Fond memories of Oscoda (Van Ettan Lake - biggest Pumpkinseed I have ever caught) and seeing this kinda stuff late 70's to early 90's. When they took of going west itf you were near Foote Dam it was epic.

[@brothermitchlove1]

Yes Sir

[@haroldmclean3755]

Old School Cool 👍

[@sbarbu]

ah the good ol days of water injection - miss it!

[@cJayster]

Great memories. I was in the 379 MMS. This was right after my wife at the time and I got married. Her family came up for the show. I believe it was referred to as base open house day.

[@brothermitchlove1]

Very cool! when was this what month>?

[@larryshields9172]

I was in the 379th supply squadron from Jan 1962-Apr 1964. During the Cuban Crisis I was "volunteered" to guard the northern end of the runway during the night and froze my a.. off. As the Russian ships were closing in on the blockade and it looked like WW3 was going to start, all of the B-52's and KC-135's were scrambling into the air. We were all glued to TV's to see if the Russian's would stand down ... I was sure we were going to war. This video has rekindled my interest in going back there to see the ol' base.

[@brothermitchlove1]

Nice, thanks for sharing!! And thank you for your service.

[@newlady46]

I live on the base now, and it had to be great to be here when the town was busy. I live in the back in the individual homes and there are really nice inside and out now. Di

[@APerson-ni1gb]

😳 The Older More Extremely Loud and smoky B-52s Without the Whistle?

[@HondaPactStudent]

Anyone remember the B-52 practice touch and go's

[@brothermitchlove1]

Hell ya... all day........long

[@d.m.d1294]

Yep, I lived at the North end of Van Etan Lake and the B-52's and tankers would throttle up right over our house and suck the pine cones off our trees before they turned and came in for another touch and go. At times we couldn't hear ourselves think as they would sometimes do this for hours on end.

[@billyuhlir3783]

I like the sound of the tf33 better on the h models. None the less awesome.

[@brothermitchlove1]

Thanks for Watching..

[@mikesquire7731]

I was stationed there during this, 379 FMS corrosion control (dock 5)

[@lewayneg9264]

I was station there in early 1971

[@d.m.d1294]

Me too! I was a medic stationed at the base hospital. Left there in 73 to Alaska remote as IDMT.

[@robytar]

Convert 5000lbs (KC-135A) of water to noise & smoke & a small amount of thrust.

[@4IAMATITOK]

stationed there,1977 78

[@scootterpootter]

Do you know the date of this show? I was stationed there and remember the show, the Blue Angels performed at this one. I have 35mm negatives of a VERY low speed pass that they did on media day, and I was standing right next to the runway. I worked in the graphics/photo lab and they had us shooting for the base newspaper. it was so cool to be that close to an F-18 that was upside down as it cruised down the runway. I remember going to the Main Gate Lounge the night of the airshow and not much else after that. lol

[@brothermitchlove1]

April, May? 1989.

[@alexandermakrianis]

They've re-engined the KC-135 with more efficient and less poluting engines.

[@raven35bat21]

I was there.

[@brothermitchlove1]

wow.. Were you on camera?

[@raven35bat21]

@@brothermitchlove1 I was stationed there. I had the kids over by the parked Buffs. I was not on camera though.

[@brothermitchlove1]

@@raven35bat21 Thanks for watching!

[@HondaPactStudent]

Think I was here I was only 12 at the time

[@brothermitchlove1]

cool

[@JIM-tt3wp]

379th BW Oct 1971-Dec 1972 SSgt Teletype/Crypto Maintenance

[@mikefournier2601]

That dam Bill Contion was a Dom ass for closing them an K I should never been now .we need them based to show our power to our enemies of the U S A

[@brothermitchlove1]

I call it the Gramm Rudman act. Or Deficit Control Act. Signed by President Ronald Reagan.